Keith Potts to Elmhurst: 'Something’s Coming'

Keith Potts remembers being in the audience for Broadway icon Patti LuPone’s retrospective one-woman show titled, “The Gypsy in My Soul.”

“Patti LuPone does this thing where she sings songs she likes to sing, then sings her way through her career,” says Potts. 

Potts recalls thinking to himself, “I want to do something like that.”

“Something’s Coming: An Evening of Theater Music” will be presented by Potts on June 8 at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church where he will sing through his career, as well as tackle music he hasn’t had the chance to sing—until now.

“Granted,” says Potts, “[LuPone’s] career is about 30 years longer than mine is, but it’s still fun exploring all the different types of material that I’ve done over the past eight years.”

Potts, 21, left Elmhurst three years ago to pursue his degree in Musical Theater at The Boston Conservatory. His latest performance was at the Boston Conservatory Theater in the rock musical, The Who's Tommy.

But prior to that, his powerfully nuanced singing voice and acting ability landed him several roles in York drama productions (Anything Goes, Crazy for You, Aida, Brigadoon, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and West Side Story), as well as a part in “Hizzoner” at the Beverly Arts Center in Chicago.

Fellow York alum Melanie Hughes will be sharing the stage with Potts on Wednesday in a duet rendition of Brigadoon's “Almost Like Being in Love.” Julie Peterson, a 2010 York grad who is also studying at The Boston Conservatory, will be featured on “You’re the Top” from Anything Goes.

‘LIKE A SPONGE’

Erin Pettitt, the pianist who will be accompanying Potts, has enjoyed working with him as they prepare for the evening concert. (The band also features Will McGing on bass and Brian Collins on drums.) Six years ago, when Pettitt began as the choral accompanist at York High School, Potts, then a junior, came to her for some voice lessons.

“I always knew from the moment I met him that Keith was driven to succeed and to be the best,” she says.  

Although he was a standout in high school, Pettitt says the performer she hears now in Potts has matured enormously from his conservatory training.

“His range has grown so much and so has his ability to communicate emotion,” she says. “He soaks up everything like a sponge and doesn’t wring any of it out.”

‘COLORING THE WORDS’

Wednesday night’s performance will feature music that represents all different genres of theater music spanning over 75 years, without repeating a single composer. Potts says his focus will be on interpreting the lyrics so that the story of each song can come through, a technique Potts refers to as “coloring the words.” 

Potts says it has been fun arranging the music and figuring out the programming for the upcoming performance. For instance, he will be singing “How Glory Goes,” a song that was written in the early 1990s from a musical called Floyd Collins, based on the true story of a cave explorer that got trapped in Kentucky.

“That song will segue straight into “A Way Back to Then” from [title of show] which was written in 2006 about people trying to write a musical.” Potts said, adding he paired those two songs because he found they had similar themes and worked well together musically. 

Wednesday performance means his grandparents and extended family will have a rare opportunity to hear him perform without having to travel a long distance. He says the concert is really his way of extending a thank you to the wider Elmhurst community before he heads back to Boston for his final year at the Conservatory.

“I’ve been so lucky to have family and friends and community that supports me by either coming out to see me in shows or by welcoming me back as though I’d never left,” he says.

“One of the reasons I wanted to do it at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church is that it’s such an intimate space and I will be able to see my audience directly,” he says. “I want to connect with these people who have been so connected to me, who I’ve been so grateful to have as part of my life.”

See a sneak-peak video of "Something's Coming" performed by Keith Potts.

"Something's Coming: An Evening of Theater Music" will be held on Wednesday, June 8, at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church, 367 S. Spring Rd. Performance begins at 7:30 p.m. with a reception to follow. Admission is free and open to the public.